Fire blocking gasket for window wall conditions
A window wall assembly includes a floor slab, a first window with a bottom sill positioned atop the floor slab and a second window with a top sill positioned at a lower surface of the floor slab. A panel extends between the first and second windows such that a void is defined between the panel and the floor slab. A fire-retardant gasket is positioned within the void and in sealing contact with the floor slab and the bottom sill.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/685,587, filed on Jun. 15, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a fire blocking gasket made from fire-retardant material that seals between the edge of slab and infill panel used to conceal the edge of slab in window wall conditions where the upper and lower sills of the window wall are cantilevered.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONReferring to
An infill panel 20 or decorative cover may be used to conceal the edge of the slab 12 and provide more of an aesthetic look to the building. A small void 22 typically extends between the panel 20 and the edge of the slab 12. It has been found that a fire 26 starting on the lower floor may burn out the sill 18 at the bottom of the floor slab 12, which creates a flue effect in the void 22 between the panel 20 and the slab 12, as illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, the present invention provides a window wall assembly includes a floor slab, a first window with a bottom sill positioned atop the floor slab and a second window with a top sill positioned at a lower surface of the floor slab. A panel extends between the first and second windows such that a void is defined between the panel and the floor slab. A fire-retardant gasket is positioned within the void and in sealing contact with the floor slab and the bottom sill.
In at least one embodiment, the fire-retardant gasket is manufactured from an intumescent material.
In at least one embodiment, a reinforcing mesh is incorporated within the fire-retardant gasket.
In at least one embodiment, the fire-retardant gasket is positioned in place during construction of the window wall assembly.
In at least one embodiment, the fire-fire-retardant gasket is connected to the floor slab.
In at least one embodiment, the fire-retardant gasket is connected to the floor slab with integrated pressure-sensitive tape.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention. In the drawings:
In the drawings, like numerals indicate like elements throughout. Certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention. The following describes preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, it should be understood, based on this disclosure, that the invention is not limited by the preferred embodiments described herein.
Referring to
Referring to
Under laboratory conditions, the applicant tested fire resistance of a window wall assembly 10 as shown in
In the second test of the window wall assembly 50, the fire-retardant gasket 30 was manufactured from an intumescent material and was reinforced with a fiberglass mesh. In the test, the intumescent gasket 30 blocked the direct path for heat and flame. The gasket 30 expanded under the heat of the fire and helped to prevent the flue effect from burning out the upper sill. It improved performance to 92 minutes. While the improvement in performance was over 41 minutes, additionally the temperatures measured along the sealant bead 24 were much cooler with the window wall assembly 50 including the fire-retardant gasket 30. Temperatures measured in the first test on the sealant and on the aluminum sill were 527° F. and 1025° F., respectively at the 51 minute mark when flaming occurred. Temperatures measured in the second test in the same positions were 409° F. and 813° F., respectively, at the 51 minute mark.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing specification. Accordingly, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that changes or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad inventive concepts of the invention. It should therefore be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is intended to include all changes and modifications that are within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the claims.
Claims
1. A window wall assembly comprising:
- a floor slab having a top surface, a bottom surface and an exterior surface extending therebetween;
- a first window with a bottom sill positioned atop the floor slab such that an interior edge of the bottom sill is positioned inwardly of the floor slab exterior surface to define an inside corner between the bottom sill and the floor slab exterior surface;
- a second window with a top sill positioned at the lower surface of the floor slab;
- a panel extending between the first and second windows such that a void is defined between the panel and the floor slab; and
- a fire-retardant gasket positioned within the void and in sealing contact with the floor slab exterior surface and a bottom surface of the bottom sill.
2. The window wall assembly of claim 1 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is manufactured from an intumescent material.
3. The window wall assembly of claim 2 wherein a reinforcing mesh is incorporated within the fire-retardant gasket.
4. The window wall assembly of claim 1 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is manufactured from mineral wool, closed cell flame retardant neoprene, a fire-retardant polymer or a combination thereof.
5. The window wall assembly of claim 1 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is positioned in place during construction of the window wall assembly.
6. The window wall assembly of claim 1 wherein the fire-fire-retardant gasket is connected to the floor slab.
7. The window wall assembly of claim 6 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is connected to the floor slab with integrated pressure-sensitive tape.
8. The window wall assembly of claim 6 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is connected to the bottom sill.
9. The window wall assembly of claim 6 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is configured such that the fire-retardant gasket has a natural bias into sealing contact with the bottom sill.
10. The window wall assembly of claim 1 wherein the fire-retardant gasket has a natural C-shaped cross-section.
11. A method of sealing a window wall assembly including a floor slab having a top surface, a bottom surface and an exterior surface extending therebetween, a first window with a bottom sill positioned atop the floor slab such that an interior edge of the bottom sill is positioned inwardly of the floor slab exterior surface to define an inside corner between the bottom sill and the floor slab exterior surface, a second window with a top sill positioned at the lower surface of the floor slab, and a panel extending between the first and second windows such that a void is defined between the panel and the floor slab, the method comprising:
- positioning a fire-retardant gasket within the void such that a portion thereof is in sealing contact with the floor slab exterior surface and a portion thereof is in sealing contact with a bottom surface of the bottom sill.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is manufactured from an intumescent material.
13. The method of claim of claim 12 wherein a reinforcing mesh is incorporated within the fire-retardant gasket.
14. The method of claim of claim 11 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is manufactured from mineral wool, closed cell flame retardant neoprene, a fire-retardant polymer or a combination thereof.
15. The method of claim of claim 11 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is positioned in place during construction of the window wall assembly.
16. The method of claim of claim 11 wherein the fire-fire-retardant gasket is connected to the floor slab.
17. The method of claim of claim 16 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is connected to the floor slab with integrated pressure-sensitive tape.
18. The method of claim of claim 16 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is connected to the bottom sill.
19. The method of claim of claim 16 wherein the fire-retardant gasket is configured such that the fire-retardant gasket has a natural bias into sealing contact with the bottom sill.
20. The method of claim of claim 11 wherein the fire-retardant gasket has a natural C-shaped cross section.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jun 14, 2019
Date of Patent: Aug 31, 2021
Patent Publication Number: 20190383003
Assignee: Specified Technologies Inc. (Somerville, NJ)
Inventors: James P. Stahl, Jr. (Princeton Junction, NJ), Paul Gandolfo (Doylestown, PA), Julio Lopes (Melbourne, FL)
Primary Examiner: Jessica L Laux
Application Number: 16/442,425
International Classification: E04B 2/74 (20060101); E04B 1/94 (20060101); E04B 2/58 (20060101);